Sri Annapoorani Homam
Once Goddess Parvati was told by her consort Shiva that the world is an illusion and that food is a part of this illusion called maya.
The Divine Mother who is worshipped as the manifestation of all material things, including food, became angry. To demonstrate the importance of her manifestation of all that is material she disappeared from the world.
Her disappearance brought time to a standstill and the earth became barren. There was no food to be found anywhere and all the beings suffered from the pangs of hunger.
Seeing all the suffering, Mother Parvati was filled with compassion and reappeared in Kasi and set up a Kitchen. Hearing about her return, Shiva ran to her and presented his bowl in alms saying, “Now I realise that the material world, like the spirit, cannot be dismissed as an illusion.” Parvati smiled and fed Shiva with her own hands.
Since then Parvati is worshipped as Annapurna, the Goddess of Nourishment.
Epithets
Annapurna has many names. The Annapurna Sahasranam presents her one thousand names and the Annapurna Shatanama Stotram contains 108 of her names. She is variously described as:
- She who is full, complete and perfect with food and grains
- She who gives nourishment
- She who is the strength of Shiva
- She who is the grantor of knowledge
- She who takes away all fear
- She who is the Supreme welfare
- She who manifests truth and efficiency
- She who is beyond Maya
- She who is the cause of creation and dissolution
- She who is adi sakthi
Iconography
Physically, Annapurna is described as holding a golden ladle adorned with various kinds of jewels in her right hand and a vessel full of delicious porridge in her left. She is seated on a throne. In some depictions, Lord Shiva is shown standing to her right with a begging bowl, begging her for alms.
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